Junior training

Hi folks,

Junior training will start again next Sunday from 10:30 to 11:30.

We still need a person with 1st aid qualifications to help out, while we reorganise training for the existing coaches. Can you please contact me directly.

If anyone is interested in helping out or knows any parents/kids who are interested, can they please contact me on 07984 314726 or p.mason.2@bham.ac.uk.

Ta...Paul

Hi Paul,

I have attached below a section of the EHB code of conduct and guidelines relating to this.

PLEASE read very carefully and cross reference to the EHB web site in order to not expose the club to any potential issues. I am aware that there is No level 2 coach available at present and unfortunately willing members of the club to coach is not sufficient in this day and age.

There are areas around Insurance and parental permission covering the Duty of Care for all under 18's.

The document below should help you along the right track but it must be read carefully.


Position of Trust

All coaches and leaders who work with young people in hockey are in a position of trust which has been invested in them by parents, the sport, and the young person. This relationship can be described as one in which the adult is in a position of power and influence by virtue of their position.

England Hockey believes that all young people, under the age of 18, involved in hockey have a fundamental right to be protected, so that they can enjoy the sport free from all forms of abuse and exploitation. It therefore seeks to help protect and promote the welfare of all young people in hockey, by having in place clear policies and guidance for its clubs, associations, individuals and all others involved in the sport.

England Hockey is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment for all young people involved in hockey.

Underpinning Principles

Hockey should be fun and enjoyable, and fair play should be promoted. All young people within Hockey, regardless of age, ability, sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic origin, social status or sexual orientation, have the right to be protected from harm. The rights, dignity and worth of all young people should always be respected. Everyone who has a concern, MUST report it. It is the responsibility of child protection experts to determine whether or not abuse has taken place, but it is everyone’s responsibility in hockey to report concerns.
The roles and responsibilities of the statutory agencies in safeguarding young people must be recognised and the procedures of the Local Safeguarding Children Boards must be complied with.

Any policy or procedure is only as effective as the ability and skill of those who operate it.

England Hockey is committed to encouraging the effective and safe recruitment of all individuals working with young people in hockey, and everyone within hockey must recognise this and regard it as essential.

All those working in hockey, in a paid or voluntary capacity, must abide by England Hockey’s Code of Ethics and Behaviour.
Good Practice

England Hockey acknowledges that good practice when dealing with young people is essential. All people in a position of trust for young people are expected to adhere to the following guidelines:

always be publicly open when working with young people. Ensure that whenever possible there is more than one adult present during activities with young people, or at least that you are in sight or hearing of others
treat all young people with respect
provide an example of good conduct you wish others to follow
respect a young person’s right to personal privacy
encourage young people and adults to feel comfortable and caring enough to point out attitudes or behaviour that they do not like
remember that someone else might misinterpret your actions, no matter how well intentioned
challenge unacceptable behaviour and report all allegations/suspicions of abuse
give guidance and support to inexperienced volunteers
agree, with the club, a communication method with young people
expect to be asked to complete an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure through England Hockey
be able to present evidence of having attended a sports coach UK (scUK) Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshop.

All people in a position of trust for young people should never, except in an emergency:

spend excessive amounts of time alone with young people away from others
take young people alone on car journeys, however short
take young people to your home where they will be alone with you.
If cases arise where these situations are unavoidable, they should occur only with the full knowledge and consent of the young person’s parent(s). Where someone has had to act outside of England Hockey guidance in an emergency, this should be reported to the local Welfare Officer.

Poor practice

You should never:

engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games
allow or engage in any inappropriate physical or verbal contact with young people
allow young people to use inappropriate language unchallenged
make sexually suggestive comments to a young person, even in fun
allow allegations of a young person to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon
do things of a personal nature for young people that they can do for themselves
invite or allow young people to stay with you at your home unsupervised
allow bullying or bad behaviour by young people
allow yourself to be drawn into inappropriate attention-seeking behaviour
make suggestive or derogatory remarks or gestures in front of young people
jump to conclusions about others without checking facts
either exaggerate or trivialise child abuse issues
show favouritism to any individual
believe ‘it could never happen to me’.
Coaching Delivery Checklist

Do you know your participants?
As a coach/leader it is important that you have relevant details of participants which may affect their involvement in hockey; this includes medical information or particular learning needs/ disabilities. Parents MUST complete and sign a consent form providing this information and emergency contact details. Liaise with the Welfare Officer and/or Secretary at your club to ensure this information is up to date.

Is the environment and equipment safe?
A risk assessment should be carried out prior to the session by either the coach or the activity organiser.

Do you have enough support?
Recommended minimum supervision ratios:

Children under 8 years old: 1:8
Children over 8 years old: 1:12
(With a minimum of two adults present, the second adult need not be a qualified coach.)

This ensures at least basic cover in the event of an emergency. Ratios may vary according to age, participants, nature of activity, venue or experience of the coach, etc. Never coach on your own.

For example a coach when working with a squad of up to 16 players (under 18) must have another adult present.

Are activities age appropriate?
Coaches/leaders must ensure that the activities they coach are suitable for the age, maturity, experience and ability of the young person.
It is recommended that all coaches/leaders plan sessions in advance identifying specific outcomes and appropriate activities in line with England Hockey’s Single System player syllabus. This document is also available to download at www.englandhockey.co.uk/singlesystemsyllabus

Qualifications & training checklist – do you have the appropriate qualifications?
All coaches/leaders must hold an up-to-date England Hockey recognised Coaching/Leadership qualification which is appropriate to the level of activity being coached.

Leaders are required to hold a Leadership Qualification, and Assistant coaches MUST hold a minimum of Level 1 hockey Coaching Assistant Award. Both should be under the supervision of a Level 2 coach (minimum).

A Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Hockey is required to lead a coaching session.

Do you have the appropriate training?
All coaches/leaders working with young people are strongly advised to attend a scUK Safeguarding & Protecting Children workshop, and to hold a first aid certificate.

At level 2 and above it is a requirement for all coaches to have attended a scUK Safeguarding & Protecting Children workshop and hold a first aid certificate.

scUK Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshops should be renewed every three years. Details of sports coach UK’s workshops are available at www.sportscoachuk.org

Do you have valid insurance cover?
All coaches need to hold insurance which covers them for a minimum of £5million for public liability.

England Hockey offer insurance as part of their Gold Membership scheme. You can find out more at www.englandhockey.co.uk/membership

Have you completed a CRB disclosure through England Hockey?
All coaches/leaders that have regular, significant access or responsibility for working with young people, in a paid or unpaid capacity, should complete an enhanced CRB disclosure through England Hockey. More information is available online at www.englandhockey.co.uk/crb. This is the responsibility of your club or association; you should have been asked by them to complete a CRB disclosure.

Do you know you are bound by the England Hockey Code of Ethics and Behaviour?
This Code covers all roles within the game, including coaches, players, umpires and officials, parents and spectators, and states expected levels of behaviour within the hockey family. Make yourself aware of the Code and what it contains. Anyone working within the hockey family is bound by the Code of Ethics and Behaviour

Thanks Andy.

I understand your concerns and although we have recently chatted about this, I feel it's worth replying in writing.

As we can all see from Andy's posting, the EHA has laid down a number of rules and regulations surrounding junior training, some of which are good practice and some of which are pure bureacratic and risk averse nonsense IMHO. Whatever I or anyone else thinks these are the rules and they have a direct impact on our ability to train youngsters. I can assure you the list of rules and regs is significantly more than what Andy posted.

I have done a risk assessment bearing these rules in mind, but also looking at the bigger picture of the needs of the children in question and their parents / guardians. We have some extremely experienced coaches and players, who are willing and able to coach juniors of all ages, but very few of those experienced coaches actually have the required level 2 certificates. We have 1st aiders and we will be working towards all junior coaches having a 1st aid qualification (as we should for the senior coaching!). We have a number of enthusiastic children and parents/guardians. We have a high quality facility in Wilsthorpe College. We don't have all of the bureacratic measures required by EHA though. We don't have a fully trained Welfare Officer and the coaches do not yet have CRB checks. Unfortunately it appears that we must have the Welfare Officer before we can get the CRB checks done. Andy has told me the CRB checks are not mandatory yet (not until 2012), but they will be soon.

To mitigate the lack of a certificate carrying level 2 coach we will be insisting, as Annie did before i came along, that each childs parent/guardian stays for the entire training session (for all ages, not just the littleuns). The parents will be consenting for their children to attend and I have produced an information sheet for them with the important details, including contacts, as the basis of that consent.

The biggest risk associated with junior training is that we get hung up on the legal and bureacratic, so called, necessities and don't do it at all. If we don't start doing the junior training again this club will slowly (or not so slowly in the mens case) die and we will deny the joy of hockey in Derby and Erewash to future generations. An overstatement? Errrr, No. No club can survive without junior training and effective recruitment. This club does not have a natural source of players such as a public school (even with Trent College on our doorstep) and so we must "grow our own".

There is a credibility gab between what this club is prepared to do to survive and what it needs to do. I'm no fan of all of this bureaucracy (each coach needs no less than 3 certificates and for Club First accreditation anyone working with children must be a qualified coach), but it isn't going away, despite rumours to the contrary. We need our volunteers to get qualified...If I can do it, anyone can...and someone needs to volunteer to be the Welfare Officer....someone who is good at listening. It will be the quietest job in the club i can assure you!

I've heard a lot of folk (of the younger male variety in particular) comment that this club seems to be "on the way down" Well, it will do unless you stop talking and start helping!

Cheers...P